Picking up the past
by Satomi Rin
Summary: When Grey looses his best friend, he burdens himself with it unable to move on and runs away from it all. He finds himself at Fairy Tail, slowly managing to cope, but what happens when he finds out the truth? Was it all a waste? What will he do now that things are coming back? Will he handle it or continue to run from his past?
1. Chapter 1

_It was the last day of high school. Exams had finished and the students had been putting away everything from the schools festival. A pair of students were on the roof of the building, avoiding any type of helping out. One of these students was the popular Lucy Heartfilia. A girl known not only for her families success but also her looks and strong personality. She wasn't the type of girl that was all cutesy and lovey dovey, she was the girl that was loved because of her robust attitude towards anyone who stood in her way. She was generally a loving and caring girl, but step over the line and she wouldn't stand for it. Lucy, being known for her looks, had long blonde hair some of which was tied up at the side, she had a fringe that fell over face, almost covering her big brown eyes. At the time, she was facing out to the skyline, just staring at it hopelessly.  
The other student was leaning against the wall behind her. His name was Grey Fullbuster. He was pretty popular himself, although he liked to keep himself to himself, unless it was Lucy. Grey had bluish/black hair that spiked up in different directions and dark blue eyes that had an ice cold stare. He had his shirt undone and his tie hung loosely around his neck. He was pretty laid back, until one of his friends got hurt. Grey wasn't known for much, only for his strength and the head on fights that he had with the other students. People would often say he's as cold as ice, but when it came to Lucy, he wasn't like that at all.  
This uncommon pair were the best of friends. How you ask? Well not only had they known each other growing up due to the fact that his guardian was a friend of Lucy's mother, but because they never really got along with other people. As already said, Grey had head on fights with anyone who got on the wrong side of him and Lucy would never hold back against anyone who stood in her path. However, they found comfort in each other and that was okay. _

_Grey was looking down, his arms crossed, thinking. This was the last day of school, the last time he would see Lucy. You see, her and her family were moving across the country of Fiore from Magnolia to Dawn City which was right over the other side. He looked up at her gazing off into the horizon, as the wind gently blew her hair. She turned to face him and smiled making his body to freeze. Lucy giggled, "You've always done that, haven't you Grey?" Grey looked away quickly._

 _"Done what?" He asked keeping his head down._

 _"You've always frozen in place when I've smiled at you, ever since we were young..." She continued to smile and looked back at the sunset, "Beautiful, isn't it?" Grey looked in her direction and nodded._

 _"Yeah... It is..." They both stayed silent for a while, both admiring different things. After what seemed like a life time of silence Lucy spoke up._

 _"Hey Grey? We'll always be friends right?" She turned to face him with the brightest smile on her face, lighting up everything around them. His eyes widened..._

* * *

Grey sat up in his bed, sweat dripping down his face and chest. He was huffing for air, wondering why he was so worked up. His eyes widened when an image of her came into his head. He placed a hand on his face and clenched his jaw. Why? Why did he have to remember her now? After all this time of not having those dreams she just suddenly comes back. He tried hard to hold back tears that urged to fall. No! He wouldn't let them! He punched the wall next to his bed and looked up. He'd just have to get over it, he had work to do. He got out of bed and hulled himself to the bathroom where he latched himself onto the sink. He looked into the mirror in front of him, he was a wreck. Ever since she'd gone, he hadn't been the same. He was alone. They used to keep in touch all the time, but then suddenly Lucy stopped replying to his letters. It wasn't until months later that he heard that she had been involved in an accident. He wasn't told anything else. She never wrote to him after that, so he came to the conclusion that she was dead and that her family had refused to tell him to keep him safe from the pain, but it hadn't worked. For 5 years he carried that weight. He burdened himself with it, never able to forgive himself. What for? She was his best friend... He wasn't there to keep her safe... Those 5 years got easier for him as they went on. He joined a job seeking society or a guild called Fairy Tale. These people did various jobs for money, everyone there treated each other like a family. It also turned out some people from his school were in the same society. Although these people made him feel happy, they didn't quite fill the hole Lucy had left.

Grey shook himself as he climbed out of the shower, and dabbed himself dry with a towel, "Today is going to be a long day..." He mumbled to himself in the mirror as she ruffled his hair with a towel. He went back to his room and pulled on a dark pair of jeans and finished off with putting a belt on them. He pulled on a greyish blue shirt and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed making his way downstairs and towards the door. He was skipping breakfast today. He put his shoes on and pulled on his jacket before leaving the house. On the way to the guild he continued to think about Lucy and their high school memories...

* * *

 _It was the second year of high school, Grey was sitting at the back of the class, where he always sat. It was quiet and he didn't get picked on to answer any questions. In his mind it was the ideal seat. He sighed and put his chin in his palm and looked out the window. He could hear the chatters of people around him, saying rumours about him from an incident that had happened long before. "That's him! That's Grey Fullbuster... The guy that's always having it out with that Natsu Dragneel guy!" "We should stay away from him" "I wouldn't wanna get on his bad side!" Even though he could hear every word, he stayed oblivious to it trying to keep his cool. Suddenly there was a shout from the class room door, a few steps and then he found himself in the arms of another._

 _"Grey! It looks like we're in the same class this year!" It was Lucy. Her bright smile made him freeze in his seat, just like it always had. She leant her head on his shoulder and giggled, "What a coincident!" She giggled again and sat in the seat next to him. She then looked around at the rest of the class, they seemed to be staring at Grey. She looked back and fourth and huffed, "If you won't do it, I will..." She mumbled before standing up, "Listen up you delinquents! Anyone who has a problem with Grey will have a problem with me too! Got it?" The whole class fell silent and she sat back down. Grey looked at Lucy in awe, "I'm always gonna be there for you Grey! We're best friends!"_

 _"Lucy..."_

* * *

"Lucy..." Grey mumbled under his breath. That was the first time he realised how he actually felt about her, and he never told her that. He regretted it every bit. He wished he could've told her, and at least given her a proper goodbye. He'd regretted not asking about the funeral or what had happened to her. He regretted not kissing her on the last day of school and any time before that. Sighing heavily he looked up at the gates of the guild. It was time for work, time to push her to the back of his mind... Time to let his mind go numb for the day. Straightening his body he walked into the guild hall. As he entered he noticed that everyone was in a big group. What could possibly be going on? He walked towards the group and tapped on the should of the person who stood out the most, Natsu. He pulled the pink-haired guy out of the crowd and looked at him sternly, "Natsu... What's going on?" Natsu stared at Grey for a minute before smiling.

"An old friend from school is here... Look I'll show ya!" Natsu grabbed Grey's jacket and dragged him through the crowd, "Excuse me, make way, coming through! Thanks!" He let go of Grey once they were in the centre, "Grey! This is-"

"Lucy..."

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **So this is my first Fairy Tail fic. It's based in an AU where there isn't magic but everything is still the same, if you get what I mean?  
Anyway, let me know if You have any questions and I'll answer them in the next chapter.  
Please review, they always help!**

 **See ya in the next one!**


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu dragged Gray through the crowd, "Excuse me! make way! coming through! Thanks!" They eventually reached the centre of the crowd and Natsu's grip on Gray's jacket was released, "Gray, this is-" His words were cut off by Gray who's gaze was locked on to whoever had been attracting this crowd. He was frozen in place as his eyes rested upon the smile that was radiating off of the person.

"Lucy..." He mumbled. The crowd fell silent and her eyes fell upon his. Those big brown eyes that Gray would have often lost himself in. Her smile never faltered within the moments that their eyes were locked, in fact it grew brighter just by seeing him. His eyes widened and he fell to his knees, causing her smile to fade away. She looked down at him worriedly and reached out her hand to grasp his shoulder.

"Gray?" Her voice was soft, gentle... How could she be so calm at a time like this? It angered him. He pushed away her hand and looked up at her, clenching his jaw and fists, tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Everyone was taken back. No one had ever seen him like this before, even Natsu, who was the person who had seen the worst side of Gray was surprised as he watched the man fall to his knees and hold back tears. This was Gray Fullbuster. The guy who Natsu had destructive fights with, the guy who had a heart as cold as ice, the guy who never showed his emotions... It was the same guy who was kneeling before him, struggling to hold his own. Gray dared to look up at the girl before him, as he did he froze at her smile, "Are you okay?"

* * *

 _He stood there, his face dripping with blood and sweat. He was angry. Very angry. He stared at the ground, clenching his jaw and fists tightly. His shirt and pants were torn and covered in dirt, his once dark shiny hair was now covered with dust and looked filthy. His opponent didn't look much different. Gray smirked, "I'll end you, you damn Pyro!" He shouted, getting into a fighting stance. Why were they fighting? No one knew. No one ever knew. The pair seemed to keep their reasons to themselves, but it had always been like this since their first year, however being in their third year the fights had only gotten worse._

 _"I'd like... to see... you... try... you good for... nothing... ice mongrel..." Said the opponent between pants. He was trying to catch his breath, this guy was more serious than usual. Like Gray, everything was torn and dirty, his pink hair a bundle of mess. Blood mixed with sweat and fell down his cheeks. Students had gathered at the windows to watch the fight and some had even been brave enough to gather at the scene. Natsu growled at his competitor, "COME AT ME YOU COLD-HEARTED BEAST!"_

 _"BRING IT YOU BLOOD BOILING PARASITE!" Gray shouted in return. They both ran and jumped at each other, as they threw their fists a girl screamed and caught them both off guard, but their hit's did not miss and they collided with each others cheeks. The fighters both fell backwards onto the ground and grunted as they did so. Natsu stayed laying down, catching his breath. Gray managed to get himself onto his knees. His breathing was harsh and he was struggling. As he stared at the ground he could hear footsteps coming towards him at a fast pace, and then the shoes appeared in his view. He looked up to see the owner of the shoes and froze in place. He saw a girl, with her hand reached out and smiling. That smile. Damn that smile. Lucy's damn smile._

 _"Are you okay?" She asked in a worried tone, he firmly grasped her hand and let her pull him to his feet._

* * *

Gray grasped her hand and let her help him to his feet. Once he had his balance he pulled his hand back and stared at the ground, his fists held tightly at his sides. The crowd that had been around them had now disbanded and given the pair some space. Natsu had too but still watched from a distance, he was curious about what was happening with the two. They stood silently for a while until her voice broke the ever growing, deafening sound of nothing but the chattering of the guild. "You wanna sit down?" She motioned towards the table, "We've got a lot to talk about... I'll answer all your questions..."Gray nodded and sat on the opposite side to her. He kept his eyes down.

"Why?" He mumbled, barely audible. Lucy puffed her cheeks and shook her head, she could tell this was going to b difficult.

"Be more specific Gray..." She looked at her hands which were set on the table, intertwined with each other.

"Why did you stop writing? Why did your parents like to me? Why did you come back here?" His voice sounded almost irritated, but also full of fear and concern.

"Well... I guess I should start at the beginning," she bowed her head causing her bangs to cover her eyes. Gray looked up no longer having to be cautious of catching her smile, "It started when we arrived in Dawn City. As you know from my letters, it was pretty great for the first two months. But after a while, things started to go down hill. Father was doing more business than usual and Mother was working away a lot more. They were arguing a lot and things were going fast... Amongst the confusion I decided to leave. It was a rainy night when I left, I didn't make it far... I ended up sliding down a small cliff that was in the mountains. I had my heart set on coming back here but I never made it. Father found me, and took me to the hospital. I wasn't allowed to leave for a while. When I asked about you they said you hadn't wrote to me at all, I thought perhaps you had forgotten about me so I never wrote..." Gray stared at her the whole time she spoke. So, that explained the accident and why she never wrote, but not the lie and why she was here. He was about to ask but she cut in, "As for what my parents said, I don't know what they told you..." She looked at him, his stare no longer a cold hard one. It had softened to a caring, concerned one.

"Lucy..." Was all he managed to say before she continued her explanation.

"And why I'm here... I left home. Safely this time... I thought it'd be time to depend on myself and not my parents. I don't wanna be know for being the spoilt rich girl..." She looked up at Gray and smiled. He cursed himself for looking at her too long. Now that she had smiled, he froze. The way it formed on her lips and made the whole room light up made his heart skip a beat. He heard her giggle and looked away, "some habits never change hm?" Gray shook his head and looked away.

"I was just... Lost in thought..." He mumbled, trying to come up with an excuse. He cursed himself for not coming up with anything better. Rubbing the back of his neck he slowly looked back and the silent blonde in front of him, "So.. uuh... where are you staying?" The girl tapped her chin in thought.

"I was hoping an inn or something... Maybe I could earn a bit of cash here and save up to afford my own place..." She looked at him in wonder, "Why?"

"Well... I was gonna offer you a... Place to stay... But if... If you already have somewhere..." Gray blushed slightly and diverted his look to around the room, rather than her. He could tell she was smiling and he couldn't stand to look. Lucy waved her hands in front of her face and blushed.

"I-if you're offering that'd be great! I mean I haven't actually secured myself a room in an inn yet so..." Both of their eyes fell onto each other. A smile slowly crept onto both of their faces and they began to laugh. At what? Who knows. They had been reunited and that was all the reason they needed.

* * *

 **Hey Guys!**

 **How'd you enjoy this chapter?  
I recently received a review about the spelling of Gray's name and I apologise for misspelling, there was no need to be rude about it, and the swearing was absolutely unnecessary. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.**

 **Thanks to the reviews from the people who are enjoying this story so far and I will most definitely do an update for you soon.**

 **See you in the next one!**


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